Acer's Morality
by Theblazepanzer24
Summary: Prequel to Leopon Rising. Acer is an Ex war Veteran from another world. Lyra is the adopted Daughter of Kayaba, the Creator of Sword Art Online. Sachi is a girl whom is missing her left hand and half of her left forearm. Asuna is the Regal yet powerful Blades-women, even if she doesn't know it yet. These four precious lives are about to come together around the world of SAO.
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own Sword Art Online**

 **16 years ago:**

Something was off, she could tell it. For the first time she smelt fresh air, but it was slightly muffled... not what a normal newborn should be experiencing, albeit there was no way she could tell. Before long, she felt something clasp her arm, about one inch below her hand. She let out a scream, but no one seemed to hear her silent cry of pain.

"Stop! You're injuring her!" She had no idea what they where saying, but the pain around her arm loosened softly, though her relief was soon turned to horror as she began to lose feeling in that arm.

"We've got to get her into surgery, now!"

She felt a small needle being injected into her right arm, albeit it she only felt a pinch and not much else before her vision blurred even more than usual and she closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

When she woke up, her first instinct was panic, and she began to cry softly. She couldn't tell what it was for sure, but she was sure something was missing.

"Hush little Sachi, it's alright, mamma's here," a Japanese lady with long dark brown hair and eyes soothed. She gazed up at the older lady, and although worry still lingered through her body, she felt soothed by the gentle humming which came from her mother.

 **Seven years later:**

Sachi woke up with a start, nearly letting out a scream as she did so. Sighing, she glanced at the six inch stub which was left of her left forearm and then turned to her right hand, sighing in relief when she realized it was still intact. Although she was much too young to remember the accident, she had nightmares of losing her right arm, though it was always different.

Letting out a sigh of relief dispute her trembling, she crawled out of her bed and quietly walked past her sister's room, noticing Mai's door was still open. Peering in, she noticed her sister was not in her room. "Must be sleeping with Ayumi," she whispered, as sometimes Mai would snuggle up with her bigger sister when she had a nightmare. Sachi simply shrugged before entering her mother's bedroom.

"What's wrong honey?" She asked, and Sachi sighed. "Bad dream mother," she whispered. The familiar face, who toiled day and night to make her life better while juggling her job as the AFJROTC instructor at Tokyo Yomato Memorial high school.

Her mother let out a sigh and moved over, allowing her daughter to have a spot in the bed. "Thanks mother... someday I'll be strong enough to," However her mother just petted her raven black hair.

"Don't worry my little angel, I don't mind it, really."

Sachi yawned, and mummered a quiet thank you before falling asleep.

 **Five years later** :

Sachi watched as her sister's played tug of war over a tarp, the tarp being there so as to keep them from getting dirty. "I win, Mai," Ayumi observed part gleefully and part curious.

Mai threw up her hands in mock exasperation. "Hey sis, how's the score?" She asked turning to Sachi.

Sachi first turned her amber gaze to Mai. "2," before turning her gaze to Ayumi "4." She then shook her head. "Ayumi is a year older though, but still the strength disparity between you too is kinda outstanding.

Ayumi chuckled. "Well I'm kinda wanting to become a tank driver, so I've got to exercise more." This caused Mai to sigh.

"I guess becoming a school nurse doesn't require as much strength," she mummered.

Sachi shook her head, her black hair swishing gently in the breeze as she did so. "Well, while that is technically true, you'd do better if you started exercising a bit more. Trust me you'll be grateful you did once the adrenaline wears off from getting the job. Besides, as dead set in your career choices you may be, you never know if you'll want to change jobs in the future."

"Maybe we could all train together then... but I don't want to get a lot of big muscles, no offense Ayumi,"

"None taken," her older sister mumbled sarcastic, though she shook her head. "I doubt you could manage what I do right off the bat anyways," she added in a sly tone.

"Hey, I bet I could!" Mai shot back, though it was all in good nature. Sachi meanwhile just let out a sigh. Being the oldest sister meant she sometimes wondered about the antics her younger sisters get up to, but she still loved them all the same.

"Anyways Mai, grab onto the rope again, I want you to try something," Sachi order and the youngest sister did so, her amber eyes curious. "Now hold your left arm like this," she demonstrated using her right arm, "and then do this with your right arm and legs."

"Like this?" Mai asked, her auburn hair swaying slightly as she tipped her head.

"Yeah, now when Ayumi pulls, do this," she showed her.

Ayumi, who had turned away as Sachi coached her younger sister then turned around. "I hope this works Sachi,"

Sachi nodded. Of course it'll work," she promised before stepping in the center of the line. "Go!" she shouted and the two sisters began their competition. _I got a caring mother, two wonderful sisters, I couldn't ask for anything else in life. Well... except,_ she thought, looking at her left arm.

 **Three years later:**

Sachi ran into the door, tears in her eyes. She barely herd her sister cry out what was wrong, but she didn't reply to Ayumi's question. Instead she just ran up to her room and cried.

"Why..." she sobbed. The loss of another friendship just happened, her forth in three years. All because of some stupid mistake made almost sixteen years ago. Granted, she'd made five friendships, but her first had been cut short tragically by a car incident. The other four... well they all made excuses for breaking up their relationship.

The first one was because of a move, but lo and behold he just moved to an apartment and different school in Tokyo.

The other three... well... practically similar things. This last one though hurt even more though, because it was just sudden and had no explanation.

"I thought it would hurt less if they didn't make excuses," She whispered before glancing up. _Please... just send me a friend who will be honest and loyal to me,_ she prayed softly.

 **Present day:**

Morning light fluttered through her window as Sachi opened her amber gaze, and sat up on the edge of her bed. "School," she whispered, and the normally eager girl was now hesitant to go back. _I can do this... sure I lost my friend last year... but I can do this. It's just school after all._

But none the less, the betrayal of her last friend last year had left emotional scars on her, Nonetheless, she went to her room's personal bath and began to shower. Her Black hair clung slightly to her body as the water began to soak, and while she hated having to clean so much hair, she loved to keep her hair waist length and flowing. Something about it seemed to be just right for some reason. Smiling once she got done, she then proceeded to get dressed in her school uniform.

Unlike most schools, Tokyo Yomato memorial was a military school, and most of the students who went there had aims to go into the military. Sachi and her youngest sister, Mai, where exceptions, albeit it was mostly due to the fact that her mother was an instructor here and what not. There where other exceptions, but still.

At least people where usually kind enough to leave her alone, physically that is, as ticking off the most popular AFJROTC instructor in the nation was not a good idea. Pert of her hoped she'd be able to make a friend this year, but even so she knew it was probably not going to happen.

 **Acer POV**

Acer yawned, blinking as the morning light was barely shining in the window. He then jumped up, gulping down a cereal bar before washing up and putting his uniform on before pausing. "Why am I rushing out when school is only half a mile away and doesn't even open it's doors for nearly three hours?" he asked himself before heading to his computer and reading an article about the Panzer IV. He loved reading about the wars of the past.

The one thing he didn't get was that warp drive thingy which brought him to this world. Of course, he wasn't all knowing, but how the hell it worked he had no idea. What he did know was that it had to be impossible, as the gold alone in the device was enough to finance all 17 Apollo 11 missions, and that was just one element. He had concluded that the gold must be synthetic, which was scary as a side with that ability would be able to spearhead the war effort, even if they never used the synthetic gold for currency. All in all it was an impossible build, yet they managed it somehow.

At least he'd earned his keep for a while. About a year ago, he and many in his self defense group had found a machine that allowed people to travel between this world and his old one. His initial plan was to capture the room, allowing at least some of the people from his old planet to escape the world wide civil war. Unfortunately, he was the only one who made it out alive, being the one with the key card as they dubbed it, and with the warp building placed on a self destruct sequence, it was unlikely to be used again for a while.

The key card wasn't something all that unusual, it just a military issue 3PBSD card. What he and his people placed on this card however was outstanding. Cures for cancers, STD's, especially HIV and AIDS, new medical procedures, scientific theories, world history, a copy of every form of entertainment from video games to music and books, all of it was archived on that chip. And after a quick check to make sure he was actually human, they more than welcomed him into their ranks.

Of course for his security, his contributions where highly classified among the general populace, though he was popular among certain groups, such as the government, military, police force, and hospitals around the world.

He shook his head though as thoughts of the war began to enter his head. He'd watched the destruction of his friends, one by one. Not one made it through with him, and he had constant nightmares of the war. Especially about Thymella, his closet friend at the time. She was the last one who was killed, seconds before he ran into the time stream, and the images of the bullet striking her head could never seem to leave his mind.

He really hoped to make a friend today, though he wasn't too sure about that. Making his way to school, enjoying the cool of the morning he found himself pausing as he entered the doors. He began to wonder where he should go first. _Library, maybe I can find myself a good book_ , he thought. While it was true that most schools had their libraries filled with older books you could rent using a special device and read them electronically, this school emphasized using more traditional means of studying, the only electronic sessions being to learn how to and getting comfortable with the use of said electronics.

As he went in, he spotted a book about the ancient Roman army and quickly claimed it for the week, before glancing around and taking a seat, not noticing the black haired girl sitting across from him.

At the third page, he heard a whisper. "So you're not going to stare?"

He glanced up, now noticing the one handed girl gazing at him. "Oh sorry, I didn't see you there," he apologized before tipping his head. "Stare at what?" he asked.

She lifted up her left arm and suddenly he understood. "No, I'm not," he admitted.

This confused her even more. "Aren't you even a bit curious about it?"

He shook his head. "Not really, I figured you wouldn't want to talk about it to a complete stranger."

"My name is Sachi," She began, but the bell rang. "Well, looks like I've got to go to class." She then tipped her head. "What class do you need to go to? I can show you the way if you'd like."

"A13," he replied, causing her to gasp. "No way, that's the same class I go to!" She then rose. "Well, follow me then."

He did so, feeling a flash of admiration for the girl. Her soft brown eyes complimented her long, waist length black hair, but it was how friendly she seemed to be which drew the majority of that admiration. However, the way she was silent and how she seemed certain he'd stare at her arm told him that she probably had a few issues of her own, He knew first hand what it was, being born with slight cerebral palsy then having to fight a war with that condition causing extreme tiredness and pain which he'd have to fight in order to just keep himself and his friends alive. And while he was thankful that the war had practically mad his body pristine, that didn't mean he couldn't remember what it was like to be under those conditions.

However, as he glanced at her again, another thought ran through his mind. _She almost looks exactly like Kuroyukihime from Accel world, save a tad more plump and with a darker shade of black hair._ That wasn't to say Sachi was fat, she was far from it in fact. Perhaps they wouldn't be no difference at all had he had the actual Kuoryukihime to compare Sachi with, the only reason he believe Sachi was a tad more plump had more to do with his own miscalculations of how skinny she'd appeared in the anime.

 **Sachi POV**

Sachi glanced over at him, surprise ebbing from her. _He... he doesn't care that I'm..._ she glanced at her arm briefly, glad he couldn't see her facial expressions. _I hope we can be friends... maybe._ The walk to class was quiet except when he introduced himself.

"My name is Acer," he replied as they walked down the halls.

"Acer, that's a neat name," she commented softly, glancing at him in surprise as he held the door for her. She gave him a gentle smile before entering. _Most of the other student's don't seem to want to open the door for me like that,_ she noted bitterly. While it seemed true, the only reason she was even attending this school was because her mother was an instructor, and that caused a lot of the students to look down on her with jealousy. Initially, she was very popular being the instructors daughter until they found out that her mother gave no favors other than expressing gratitude to them.

Sitting down and preparing to take out her notebook, she was glad he'd decided to sit beside her, however hurried whispering begin to erupt.

"Look... it's the new kid."

"Why is she sitting beside her?"

"Probably wanting to garner favor."

"Nah... I bet he just feel pity."

However he promptly stood up and loomed over the kids. "Excuse me," he boomed, and Sachi was shocked at how he sounded more like a military commander than a normal 16 year old. "I can sit by my friend without doing so to garner favor or show pity," he added just as sharply.

Everyone was staring at him, stunned. She was too. _He... he considers me a friend even though we first met?_ She thought wildly. Part of her was touched by this of course, but she was shocked at how he could feel that strongly.

Someone stood up, and smirked at him. "She's no good as a friend. After all, she's a cripple," however he just marched up to her and glared daggers.

"Call her a cripple again, see what happens," he growled, causing her to slink into her seat. _He's... he's scary,_ she thought, but soon realized what he was doing. _But he's doing it for my sake,_ she added.

He let out a huff and sat down next to her, handing her a napkin. "Here," he replied and Sachi suddenly noted she was starting to cry. "Thanks... Acer," she whimpered, however as she began to dry her eyes, the teacher walked up. "Do you need to go home Sachi?" he asked gently.

Sachi turned to Acer and sighed. "That might be best," she admitted, then sighing.

"Okay, but take young Acer with you. I need to have a talk with my class in private." He told her before returning to his desk, the other students stunned cold as they hated their teacher's lectures.

As they walked out of school, Sachi paused briefly. "What you said back there... is that how you really fell about us. I... I mean, that we're friends?"

He gave her a small smile as reassurance. "Yes, if you want me to." he told her before continuing on his way.

"I'm very disappointed in all of you," she could hear the teacher begin his lecture and hurried to catch up for him. "I'm glad to have you as a friend," she whispered.

"Likewise," He replied genuinely.

 **Acer POV**

Acer was glad he could help her, but appalled at how her class had treated Sachi. _Why was this so? She'd done nothing wrong._ He didn't care what that one girl thought, especially after she brought up that she was a crippled. He knew from experience that those with missing limbs could really surprise a person with how much they could do if given the chance. Heck, back in the war, three of his squad mates where in a similar situation. His second in command at the time was an athlete who's right leg had been blown off by an IED in Iraq, while the other two where missing a hand and portion of one of their arms to a degree. Yet there wasn't anyone else he'd rather have beside him because in a firefight, dispute their missing limbs, they fought ferociously and with the upmost valor.

Not only that, he himself had slight cerebral palsy back then, and while he was able to operate normally, his body would eventually lock up in pain or tiredness. Everyone said he'd never be able to hold down a job, and while they where right, somehow he managed to fight through his tiredness and pain during the war.

He let out a silent prayer of thanks for his new friend, and the fact that his body was much much healthier.

"I can't believe they'd treat you like that," he whispered, almost to himself. They walked in comparative silence, until they came up to her house, his jaws dropping in disbelief.

"This is where you live?" he asked, and got a nod in response. "Mother served in the air force for ten years before she settled down to have me and my sisters, Mai and Ayumi." She explained, before giving him a slight glance.

"It's nice to have sisters who care about you." he sighed as they went in.

"hmm... don't you get along with your sisters?" she asked.

He shook his head. "No... I don't have any family here." he admitted.

"No family?" she asked quietly.

He shook his head. "None. I'm not at liberty to say why, classified information, only those in the military, politics, and emergency care are allowed to know."

"Oh... sorry bout asking."

"It's no problem Sachi, you didn't know." he then took his shoes off and left his backpack in a cubby hole. "So what now?"

"Why don't we hang out?" she asked.

"Yeah, that sounds pretty good."

Little did Acer and Sachi know what lay in store for them, nor did they yet realize just how much they would need each other.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Blaze is back in town... er... I mean in fanfiction. Ha ha, sorry about not posting any new updates, life got busy for me and such. I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed, favorited, followed, and read this work. Thank you so much and again I deeply apologize for the delay.**

 **So this is the second chapter of this story, and I like to refer to it as the first conflict chapter. For this story, The events leading up to Acer and Sachi's adventure into sao take about four chapters, so SAO starts in the fifth chapter.**

 **Basically it's going to go like this.**

 **Chapter one: Meeting**

 **Chapter two: First major conflict**

 **Chapter three: Revelations and realizations**

 **Chapter four: Vacation and Confessions**

 **Chapter five: Link start**

 **Of course I don't have any official names for these chapters but that should give you an idea of what is in store for the future. It won't be too long before I update my Panzerfaren Begins chapter in the Girls und Panzer series, and I'm beginning a rewrite of my Leopon Rising and The Quiet Life fanfics, SAO and GUP respectively. Since I'll be actually posting the new rewritten work on the original story, and because I'm going to post the newest chapter along with the rewrites of the current chapter's, it'll be a while before they are updated, maybe even into next February. Don't worry, they'll be plenty of Leopon in this story.**

 **BlazeSachi: Blaze, Just get on with it, okay?**

 **AcerSachi: Yeah, I'm sure no one want's to hear your rambling.**

 **Acer: But Sachi, you enjoy my rambling.**

 **AcerSachi: * Blushes * Y... you don't have to say that here...**

 **Blaze: Now I have more things to explain. * Sigh * Alright, so here's the lowdown. I created Sachi originally for a Girls und Panzer fanfic. It's not up anymore, but that is aside the point. Thing is... I feel in love with her. However... I did now want to make another SAO Self-insert, so I created Acer to kinda spice things up and created two different version of Sachi. Thing is...**

 **BlazeSachi: I'm a bit more... sarcastic than the Sachi in this story, so it's an alternate AU of myself. However, Acer is not an AU of Blaze.**

 **Blaze:And that is enough rambling... chapter two! I do not own Sword art online, or Girls und Panzer. Enjoy!**

Sachi waited by the front of the school, eagerly serching for her friend. Two months had passed since that time, and she had been surprised by Acer's loyalty in regards to being her friend. _It would seem that he could have made his life easier had he left me in the dirt, but he still stands up for me_ she thought to herself.

 _But... there's something he is hiding. It's...not a malicious feeling, but I keep thinking there is some dark secret in his past, something he doesn't want to get out._ She couldn't place her finger on it, but something intrigued her about him. _Maybe he's gone through something like me, losing all of his friends or something along that line. He does live alone, not unheard of, yet not common either._

Her eyes brightened when she saw her friend arrive. Walking beside him, she smiled gently at him. "Good morning Acer," she greeted politely. She inwardly froze, wondering if she sounded too formal. It was an issue she kept having every since she lost her last friend.

"Morning Sachi," he replied back, bowing slightly. "So how was your morning so far?" He added.

Sachi gazed ahead for a second. "It was fine, just the same ole same old." Gazing back at him she decided to ask him the same question.

"Hectic." he muttered, surprising her. "Got a call for an emergency meeting for the S.E.R.P. this evening. And I dread reporting all the issues this thing has."

"If you don't mind me asking... what kind of issue?" she asked, curious.

He sighed before facing her. "Well, for starters... it's... " he paused as the bell rang, signaling for students to head for their class. "We'd better get going. I'll tell you about it at lunch, alright?"

Sachi nodded. "Good enough for me," she smiled, slightly disappointed but fully understanding of his intentions. Acer was all for fun and conversation during breaks, but he did not like to risk distractions when it came to going to class. And while she couldn't find herself being mad at him for it, she did wish he was a little more open to talking on the way to class.

"Hey, still hanging around the crippled girl, aren't we?" Sachi let out a small gasp, whirling around to come face to face with her last friend. No, her so called last friend.

"Her disability has nothing to do with us being friends. Sachi is a human being and is just as important as you, I, or anyone else," Acer spoke up in a harsh tone.

Sachi smiled as he defended her, once again. Her former friend had kept up this act every since they began school together, and she knew Acer was probably losing his patience.

"Yeah right! I bet you just want to get into her pants." She shook her head. "Seriously, you guys have no morals.

"Acer isn't that kind of guy," she began, only to notice that Acer to began backing off.

"No... not again..." he whispered before running off.

 **Acer pov**

Acer ran as the image blurred his vision, his mind taking him back to a most unpleasant memory of the war.

He had been sent to infiltrate a slave camp ran by the Galoga gang a group of men thought to ravage women and children. The goal was simple, discover whether or not said rumors where true.

Managing to successfully infiltrate said gang, he quickly found a group of cages, and crept along a line of bushes, aiming to get a better view. As he looked up, to his horror, he had saw a young woman, probably in her twenties, hanging on a cross in the new. Above her was a sign that read, "A mockery of the bigots."

Acer had seen enough for his report. He quickly exited the camp, and made his report. Several nearby towns conducted a group assault on the town, though they where to late to save the woman on the cross.

The only issue was this time, his memory didn't display the stranger on the cross.

It displayed Sachi.

 **Sachi POV**

Sachi could only stare at him in confusion. As she did so, their tormentor smirked before leaning into Sachi. "Stay away from Acer. This is your last warning, cripple." With that, she turned around and entered her class. Sachi let out a sigh, glancing worriedly at the direction Acer had went, before also heading into the class.

As she sat down, worry began to creep into her mind. _Fear... but not of being caught. He had genuine fear in his eyes, like a bad memory of something._ Her eyes soon widened with realization. _PTSD! He suffering from some form of PTSD! But how? Why? Wait...was he..._ before she could finish the thought, Acer walked into the room.

She noticed how he stiffened when the bully suddenly yelled out, "I told her he just wanted to get into his pants! That is why he ran away, isn't it Sachi?

She shook her head, her anber eyes blazing with anger. "I wish you'd quit making trouble for us. It's been the same thing nonstop between you and me and Acer. He and I are friends and we are here to get a real education, not your bloated load of horse crap!"

"Sachi, that is enough, but you are right. He turned to the other girl. "I swear, if you interrupt this class one more time, I will send you to the detention room."

The girl's countenance changed, and she nodded. However, as soon as the teacher's eyes where turned, the girl charged at Sachi. Fear kicked in the girl, and she raised a fist to defend herself.

But, both girls didn't expect to be hit. As Sachi and her former friend both fell into opposite desk, the teacher turned around, gasping. "Fights now!" He shouted, outraged. "You both are going to the detention office.

To her surprise, Acer stood up. "This fight is partly my fault. I'm going with them".

The teacher nodded, before returning to his lecture. Acer sighed, before trudging in the direction of the detention office. Sachi wordlessly followed him, shame burning down her cheeks. _He probably hates me for this now,_ she inwardly sighed.

Sitting down facing the opposite direction, she began to quietly do her work. She deliberately kept her mind focused on her math problems, then her science workbook. Soon, lunch time came in. "You three stay put, I'll go and get your lunches," the on duty teacher said, before exiting the class room.

Sachi began to fell nervous, but before she could understand why, she heard a thump and turn around to see the bully hitting on Acer, beating him up. "Get off him!" she screamed, trying to pull him off her, only to be thrown into the back wall. _Ow!_ she thought, dazed and hurting.

She noticed the other girl standing over her, shouting something. It was then the teacher came in, and shared a few brief words with the bully, then made a call. Before long two officers came in and hoisted Sachi into her feet.

"Sachi, for the attempted murder of Acer, you are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent..." As Sachi was placed in leg irons, her right hand cuffed to one of the officer's, as her missing left hand made it impossible to handcuff her properly, horror went through her mind.

 _Why that low, lying, two faced son of a bitch! She must have had this planned all along!_ However, she didn't dare speak, not that she could in her currently state of shock. As she was lead away, she cast a loving glance at her friend. "Acer... please be okay. For both of us," she whispered, forsaking her right to remain silent for a moment.

"You have no one to blame but yourself for this, Sachi," One of the officers remarked sadly. Sachi fought the urge to glare at him, not wanting to make her predicate worse than it already is.

The ride to jail was long and uncomfortable. Sachi remembered her weird desire of wondering what handcuffs felt like. Going to jail was not the way she wanted to find out. _Can't wait to get these things off me,_ the grimaced silently, before realizing her life now would consist of being cuffed over and over, until her jail term was up or she was found innocent.

 _Even if he does wake up, Acer might not realize who it was who beat him up,_ she realized sadly.

 _ **Acer POV**_

Acer woke up to find himself staring up at a ceiling, instantly knowing he had been sent to the hospital He could tell that his head was wrapped up in cloth, probably to stop the bleeding from a cut he received when that bully was beating him up. Not to mention one side of his face felt extremely sore, indicating that she may have been trying to implicate Sachi instead of herself. Glancing to his right, he noticed said girl standing next to him.

"Acer, how are you feeling?" She asked, her voice held with mock concern. Acer could easily tell it was fake. _I remember now. Thymella's girl friend pulled the same thing on her one time. I'm just glad I caught her as she was trying to pull the pistol to finish her off,_ he mused. Remembering his old friend, and how she nearly died, he fought back the feelings of grief.

"What happened to Sachi?" he asked groggily. _She'd better be okay,_ he growled inwardly.

"She was arrested. I tried telling you she was no good as a friend." She remarked gently. "Well, you won't have to worry about her any more," she added, her hand moving from behind her back.

As soon as she did, Acer sprang into action, realizing her plan. With one hand he gripped her right arm, the one which he noticed held the neuron-toxin drug, and with the other he pressed the emergency button.

"What the hell..." As soon as the doctor ran in he grabbed the girl, before calling security. Acer leaned against the bead, his head spinning form his injuries, but thankful to have saved his own life. Again.

"She's the one who beat me up, not Sachi. Get Sachi out of jail out and bring her to me right now! Understood?" His voice was seething in anger, and he felt a mixture of satisfaction and guilt at the frightened look the doctor gave him.

One advantage about every doctor, police officer, and politician knowing his name and who he was was that if you wanted something done, it got done. Extremely fast too. And why wouldn't they? While he didn't make the discoveries, he brought those to the people. Everyone cured of cancer, Every one saved form the onset of AIDs, Even the new Hydro-electric Concord super-jets that where taking the world by storm had only been possible due to the information brought to them by his chip.

The doctor rapidly nodded and security hauled the girl away. Afterward, doctor helping him onto the bed, he laid back down, and closed his eyes. _Hold on just a little bit more Sachi. Please hold on just a little bit more._

 _ **Sachi POV**_

Sachi could do nothing but stare at her arms, her orange jumpsuit now trailing where there school uniform had been just moments ago. _I...I can't believe this is happening,_ she thought to herself. _I wonder what my mother is going to think. Her daughter, who had always been one to follow the rules, now in jail? And what would my younger sisters think?_ Sachi knew she was their role model, their go to person to ask for advice. Even if they believed she was innocent, they wouldn't be able to see her but maybe once or twice a month.

It hurt. Acer had been trying to be her friend. She wanted to be his friend so badly. And it had cost them. Her former friend had cost them their lives together. Even if her name was cleared, if Acer wasn't there beside her, then only her mother and sisters meant something to her. _Maybe I could stay with mother and be a care-giver._

After a moment she shook her head. _No,_ she thought in defeat. _Perhaps this is where I belong._ Looking at the stub where her left arm should have been she frowned, drowning herself in self-deprecating thoughts.

Waking up to her right arm tingling, she realized she must have dozed off on the hard bunk. She let out a quiet sigh before rising up and pacing around the cell to get her blood flowing. She herself was slowing adjusting to the idea of life behind bars, and she hated it. It was as if she had came to grips that this was her reality.

 _How long have I been locked in here? Fifteen minutes? Five hours? And I'm adjusting to this life already? I know I've been hard on myself, but surly I can't believe this is all I deserve in life,_ she wailed inwardly, her amber eyes watering slightly at how much she had lost. _Just turned 18 before my last year of school. How long am I going to have to live life this? 22 years? Life?_ Just as she finished her thought the door opened.

"Your free to go, your mom is here to pick you up."

With those words her heart suddenly fluttered with joy, but she quickly tempered it down. "Did she bail me out?" She asked. To her surprise the guard shook his head.

"No, Acer woke up and provided us with quite the ample evidence that your accuser was the one who committed the crime." He then paused. "We are going to have to handcuff you until you reach the main lobby though, safety reasons."

Sachi now knew she hated being handcuffed, but she didn't really care if she had to be one more time, if it meant she was getting out of here. As they placed her in transport chains, she kept telling herself just a bit more time left. She hated the cold around her hand and the feel of restricted mobility of her right hand.

In a time which seemed liked an hour and a few moments Sachi found herself face to face with her mother and sisters. The look on her mothers face said everything she needed to know.

Mom was furious. Not just mad, raging. It was all part of the infamous Nishisumi fighter squadron style, the one that her grandfather had displayed against the Russians during WWII, and her father later the Chinese during the Vietna war. Mom herself had experienced it in 1991 when the territory won by Japan tried to rebel, only to find themselves without anyone to join as the soviet union broke up three years later.

"Mom, I'm sorry..." Sachi began tentatively, pausing as she was unable to continued. To her surprise her mom placed her hand gently on Sachi's right shoulder.

"It's not you or Acer that I am mad at. You and Acer did nothing wrong," She reassured her daughter, though the anger in her eyes remained. "It's everybody else I'm ticked off at." she added. Handing her a tee-shirt and jeans, her anger faded monetarily. "Put these on, there's a visitor's bathroom over there you can use. An orange jumpsuit does not suit the child of a Nishisumi squadron member.."

"Of course, T...Thank you mother," she replied, blushing slightly as she hurried into the bathroom and put her new garments on. Taking a peak in the mirror, she realized her foundation and face powder was off. While she didn't wear a lot of makeup, her cheeks naturally had this light red coloration to it and she found it a bit awkward. Anything else though was too much of a pain to deal with aside the fact she privately didn't think much of girls who wore a lot of makeup.

She couldn't reapply her makeup so she just washed off what she had on and then placed her tee-shirt and pants on. Tying her shoe, she smiled briefly and exited the room, where her mom simply nodded at her.

"Much better Sachi," she remarked, before motioning for her to follow. The guard at the entrance quietly handed her back her school uniform and purse, which she took back and quietly followed her mother out of the building.

"Sachi?"

"Yes mom?" She was still apprehensive, dispute her mother promise of not being angry at her or Acer.

"I spoke with Acer on the phone. He's been quite worried about you, and he's going to need someone to look after him for the next few days. Can I rely on you to stay with him at our house?"

Sachi nodded. "Of course, I'd be honor to," She smiled, thankful she could do something for her friend. _I'm just glad he and I are still friends, well, I'd assume we are considering he is worried about me that much._

"Thank you. Also..." Her mother paused. "He wanted to invite you to S.E.R.P. as an observer member."

She couldn't help but let out a gasp, along with her sisters. Being invited to S.E.R.P, even as an observer member, was a big honor as well as a monumental responsibility. While nobody knew who's idea it was to fund S.E.R.P, it had the major backing all major departments of the military, government, research, technological and medical establishments.

Core members where chosen for their intellect and skill at discerning flaws in new technological advances. Acer was one of the newer members, being chosen nearly eight months ago, six months before she had met him. Apparently he had a fifteen year contract after his first year trial run.

Observer members where guest of the core members, and while they had as much say as the core member, their terms where tied into the remainder of the core member whom invited them. Sachi would be in for a little over fifteen years, though had Acer invited her in a few years later she would have been in for only thirteen or fourteen years.

Sachi let out a smile. "I'm be honored to join him in S.E.R.P."

 **BlazeSachi: So other me... how was that experience?**

 **AcerSachi: You mean jail or the bullying? Because I can tell you it was worse than I ever could have dreamed. Wait... did you mean being handcuffed?**

 **BlazeSachi: Yeah. I've always wanted to try that but Blaze won't let me try it no matter how much I insist.**

 **Blaze: I'll never understand that.**

 **Acer: I agree, though I'm guessing it's more to do with memories of the war in my case. * Shudders* You have no idea how many men and woman I've seen left tied up or in cages.**

 **AcerSachi: Trust me, feeling bound was not fun. * Nods to Acer * I had no idea it was that bad.**

 **Acer: * Sighs ***

 **Blaze: Well, that's all folks! Feel free to favorite and follow if you enjoyed reading this story! If you have any ideas, questions, complaints, or wish to point out those pesky spelling errors I'm infamous at not spotting, let me know.**

 **Blazesachi: *Huffs * Oh give me a break, Blaze! Infamous?! You only average about two or three per chapter.**

 **Acer: Really... I'm pretty sure I average at least five to seven.**

 **Blazesachi: -_- Pfft!**

 _ **Chapter three sneak peak:**_

As Sachi entered the gates to the main meeting room, she glanced around, suddenly feeling slightly intimidated by the sheer number of people. _I had assume there was only about fifteen or twenty people, maybe thirty if I overestimated for observer members,_ she thought to herself. She noticed Acer glancing at her, and he gently took her good hand for a second.

"Most of these are here on observation duty," he informed her quietly.

"Observation duty?" she asked, curiously.

"Yeah, between the magnitude of the machine we're reviewing and the fast that we have a new observer member," He paused, giving her a slight but warm smile, "They want to see what we have to say and how you conduct yourself," He finished, letting go of her hand so gently she couldn't even tell for sure if he had actually been holding it or not. While she knew he wasn't trying to be a pervert or anything, she felt a twinge of disappointment that he had let go so soon.

"So what should I do?" She asked, her amber eyes switching from observing the room to gaze at him in sincerity.

He chuckled. "During the process, not much. Just make a constructive comment, point out any flaws people have missed, and remain... proper." He then gazed into her eyes intently. "Don't worry too much about it, you'll do fine. Afterwords, we'll mingle with the others, you can be yourself there."

She nodded earnestly. _I can't mess this up._ She thought determinedly, however a new face came up to them before she could dwell to much on what he said. She had light, sky-blue eyes, with light-blondish yellow hair. Her build was slender, though definitely not hour-glass slim, and her countenance held both sharp wisdom in addition to a mixture of playfulness and power.

"So Acer... you've finally gotten yourself a girl-friend?"

 _G...gi...girlfirend?_ Sachi herself was stunned at the accusation. However, looking back briefly she could easily see herself standing beside him... if it weren't for the fact that she was missing her left hand and portion of her left forearm.

It didn't help that he happened to the the great hero everyone was talking and learning about. True, while he had admitted the research on that chip wasn't his, as everyone in the know fully understood. The fact that he survived four years of the most horrific warfare ever to be seen, guarding the chip through two of those years, then destroying the space bridge facility while jumping in a last effort to save himself garnered respect. The fact that the chip held so many cures and technological innovations only reinforced that belief.

Sachi knew by all rights he should be out of her league. _After I got out of jail, I swore to myself I'd never be so harsh on myself due to my missing hand again. Maybe Acer is out of my league. Maybe I'm just having a crush right now and it'll go away in a few weeks. But if I love him, if he is the one I want to be with, I owe it to myself to find out how he feels, and if he does feel the same way, to give him a fair chance._

"Sachi here is my best friend, Lyra," Acer replied politely, his voice becoming neutral. Turning to her, he gave her a reassuring smile. "Sachi, this is Lyra. Also known affectionately by many here as Leopon.

 _ **End of Chapter three sample.**_


	3. Chapter 3 part 1

**Blazepanzer here, and a quick note, Originally I wished to post this as one chapter...until I realized that would make a 10,000 word chapter, minimum. As for the Alternate History, I'm going to have to explain that as I go, as trying to explain it all at once would be too complicated and take roughly 5,000 to 7,000 words, at minimum. Just know it'll make more and more sense as the story goes on.**

Acer awoke to his head throbbing. Rising up against the pain, he checked the clock on the right wall of the room. _6:15 PM, Sachi should be here within the hour,_ he told himself before massaging his forehead gently, taking extra careful not to reopen his cut.

His phone vibrated, and he quickly read the message.

 _Just got Sachi out of jail, be there in about 30 minutes._

 _Lori._

He smiled, though he was dreading the conversation. _I hope she can forgive me...I...I don't want to lose Sachi as a friend,_ he told himself before gazing at his phone. He began to think about another one of his friends. "I still have time to call her," he whispered before dialing another number.

 **Unknown POV over six years ago:**

"No Kirita, stay down!"

Kirita shot Thymella, the girl who yelled the command, a look of fury. "I can fight too!" She yelled. Nabbing Acer's reserve pistol from the holster, she began firing at the enemy.

"Your parents would have my head if they saw you firing that," Acer hissed as he barely dodged a bullet, the shell nearly grazing his head.

"Just because you're twelve and I'm only eight doesn't mean squat!" She hissed, before hitting one of the targets in the nose, dropping him instantly.

"Let's pull out, these renegades aren't worth our time," one of the enemy commanders bellowed, and the enemy platoon began to retreat.

"Yeah, let's chase them all the way to the yellow river!" Kirita shouted, and rose up to began the charge. However, just as Thymella issued a reprimand, a bullet wiz-ed by her side, knocking her back down.

"No! Acer, Jake cover me!" Thymella rushed to the side of the girl and checked her pulse before cutting off her tee shirt and began her work as the team's medic.

"I am going to be alright, am I" She whispered.

"It'll scar and feel sore for a few days, but you will other wise be fine," Thymella smiled in relief as she saw that the wound was a glancing shot.

Kirita's eyes watered. "But I don't wanna have a scar," she whimpered.

Thymella gazed at her gently, her eyes full of sympathy. "Then do as your told," she whispered, before scooping up the small girl in her arms as the group had moved out. The last thing she remembered was falling asleep in her arms.

 **Kirita and unknown POV, today :**

Kirita woke up in a cold sweat. "It was just a dream." she whispered, before closing her eyes and breathing in and out in long, drawn out breaths.

"Another bad one?" a voice mummered, causing the girl to gaze at a light from the other side of the room. Said light proceeded to form the shape of a young teenaged girl, though granted she was slightly translucent and only about the size of a barbie doll.

"Mh." Kirita wasn't too sure if she should burden her more than she already had.

"You know," the twelve inch hologram paused momentarily before continuing. "It would be good for you to share your dreams with somebody."

"But..." she trailed off, knowing her shorter friend was right.

"I know all about the great war, so you can confide in me. And after all, I was built to help people with their problems."

 _But where you where built for this, Premier?_ Kirita thought to herself. Premier had been built as a set of three artificial AI physiologist. But that was common knowledge What neither of them knew that two of them, Strea and Yui, where being built for a game known as Sword Art Online. Of course they had any idea of how much impact the game would have on them in the near future.

Just then her phone rang. "Yes..." A brief pause ensued. "Wait, a test run! Are you sure? Hold on a second, Acer's in the hospital? THAY WHAAAATTTTTT!"

Premier shuddered, still not used to Kirita's constant shouting even after working with the girl for nearly a year and a half. "Miss Kirigyra...could you please keep it down?" Said AI muttered under her breath.

"Okay, so they got her out. Right, I'll have my things packed." Another pause. "Wait...you're giving me Premier? But she...the troops...Oh I see."

Once again Premier shuddered. Only this time in anger from the idea that Kirita would apparently own her. Granted, its not like she wanted to leave the black haired teenager, but the idea of somebody owning her was a tad much. _Kirita! Sometimes you can be a total bitch, you know that!_ she hollered inwardly.

The only reason she didn't actually holler it was two fold. One, it might give the government official on the phone the idea that Kirita was not ready for the test when in reality she totally was. Secondly, a lot of concepts and cuss words that people commonly used in Kirita's old world where completely unknown here. Everyone who learned about them agreed it was for the best that it stayed that way..

"Okay...so she'll arrive this evening. Great! Maybe I can get something better than a GBA SP."

Premiere let out a groan. The only reason Acer hadn't bought her anything else more advanced, no pun intended, was because some of the people in the emergency home where a bit too rowdy for most people's liking. Acer was afraid someone my attack her over something more...modern.

"Right, Well, I'm going to pack up, then. See you later." Sighing, she turned to her AI friend. "Hey, you hear that?"

"Kinda hard not to with all the yelling," she muttered.

"Eck! So...sorry," she stammered.

"Forget it, no one could blame you. By the way, what was that about?"

"Well..."Kirita began to describe what had happened to Acer and Sachi.

"Wow, that, that is harsh, trying to stop someone from beating your boyfriend half to death and then that person tries to pass it off onto the girlfriend instead of taking responsibility herself."

Kirita nodded, looking grim. "Yeah, I can't imagine how Sachi feels. Acer must feel terrible." she sighed as she clutched the sides of her skirt. "I was lucky he found me so quickly. That guy was two minutes away from taking me to his camp and if he did..." she trailed off, not wanting to think about it.

Premier shuddered, more through than ever this time around. She was one of the few people with unrestricted access to the chip and that was only to help Kirita get her life on track. She knew the harsh reality of the war, and that the teen had several close calls herself. This one included.

When Kirita was ten years old, she decided to sneak away from her group in order to decompress and get her mind off of the fighting. While she wasn't paying attention some guy nabbed her, quickly cuffing her behind the back.

Kirita had screamed and screamed, but the guy never made an attempt to shut her up, due to some religious belief that the liberty of the soul only truly died out only after the free spirit has been thoroughly traumatized. Then they could to what they wanted with the captive. In Kirita's case, they'd have probably made her into what's referred to as a nursery, one who rears and raised kids, both their own and those of the group.

Needless to say it was that belief that had lead Acer and John to find her, locked in a cage with the abductor setting up a neck-collar. Unfortunately, it was too late for one thing though.

That wasn't important now, though. What was important was that she making certain Kirita was fine. "Are you going to be okay?" She asked, tipping her head.

Kirita let out a sigh. "I'll be fine, Premier, I'll be fine." She took out a photo her father had given her, one which held her parents, baby brother, newborn cousin, and aunt. "I'll get to meet you soon...I guess."

 _If Mordiri accepts me._

 **Sachi POV:**

Sachi let out a sigh as she entered the van, climbing into the left mid-seat. "Boy I'm glad to get out of there," she sighed in relief.

"Can't say I blame you," Lori admitted, as she texted Acer. Letting out a small sigh, she gave her daughter a smile. "In a way you are in luck though."

Sachi couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Well..." Her mother paused briefly before continuing. "You know how we're going to host Acer for a few months?"

Sachi couldn't help but smile at the thought. "Yes."

"Well...he has a younger friend who will be staying at out house during that time, and we'll be hosting her as well."

Sachi attempted to hide her disappointment well. _Her? Wait, does he have a girlfirend?_ She then mentally slapped herself. _Wait...what to you mean, does he have a girlfriend? Besides, mom said she was younger, so why the hell am I so worried about this._

"Acer never mentioned this friend," Ayumi pointed out gruffly. Sachi glanced at her, sharing her older sister's misgivings.

Mia let out a sigh. "Don't you think you're being a little too harsh, sis?" she asked gently.

Ayumi let out a small huff. "There's something about him I'm not too sure about. The way he befriended Sachi so easily, the fact that he's not even mad about the fact that he was beaten up yet is furious that she was thrown into jail, then there's this whole rumor going on."

Lori let out a sigh. "Look, I can guarantee you personally that Acer would never put Sachi in that situation. Much less any other girl."

The girl let out a small growl. "I don't trust him is all."

Sachi had to hold back a small moan at her sister's distrust. _He got me out of jail and invited me to S.E.R.P. For crying out loud Ayumi!Can't you at least trust him?_

In the end it was Mia who soothed out the situation. "He's always treated us with the uppermost respect, hasn't he?" Everyone paused as her quiet voice of reason began to speak. "And from what I've heard, he's been defending Sachi from day one."

She gave a small pause before continuing. "Even if he does like her more than a friend should, we should let Sachi decide for herself. After all," Her sister intrusted her with a snort of disgust.

"Bullshit! This is our sister we're talking about! We can't just give her away!"

Sachi had had enough. "Just stop it, please!" She shouted, nearly causing Lori to pull over in response. "Look, I apprentice that you are all concerned about me, but Acer is the best thing to happen to me in, like, forever." She let out a small breath. "He's given me no reason to distrust him."

Lori gave a small nod. "Ayumi, I can understand if you are having doubts, but if you try and isolate them for no reason other than doubt, we will be having a serious discussion. Understood?"

Ayumi looked awaken back. "Uuh...Understood." Turning to her sister, she let out a small sigh. "I'm sorry, Sachi. I'm just trying to look out for you is all."

Sachi just gave her sister a frosty glare before looking away. _How dare she doubt him like that!_ She ranted to herself. However, a small sensation began to trickle down her cheeks when she thought about part of the conversation.

 _But...but what if Acer really does likes me in that way?_ After a brief pause, she shook her head, dismissing the thought. _He's a very good friend, but there's no way he would like or deserve an amputee like myself._

 _Would he?And even if he did like me...is it because of love or lust._

 **Kirita POV:**

"Well, I guess I'll see you either tonight or tomorrow," Kirita commented as her suitcase and backpack where finally loaded.

Premier gave a small nod. "It'll be the first time we've been separated." She then slumped down. "It kinda feels wrong in a way?"

"Like when Master chief and Cortona had to say goodbye?"

The A.I. gave out a small snort. "No, of course not!" She exclaimed with sarcasm. "We're not lovebirds after all!"

Kirita gave out a small laugh. "Okay, ew. Now I need to get that image outta ma head," she muttered, before exiting the door as her ride drove up. She quietly loaded her belongings into the back before climbing into the left passenger seat in the front.

"Thank you for having me, Instructor," she bowed politely, before buckling up. Hearing some hushed whispered from in the back, she turned to Lori. "They have no idea, do they," she whispered.

Lori shook her head. "No, but they will tonight," she whispered back.

The drive was uneventful, save for the fact that Mia and Ayumi kept arguing over something in hushed voices. Kirita turned to Sachi for a brief moment. "So, you must be Sachi, right? I've heard good things about you."

Said girl jolted a brief moment, seeming surprised that her Japanese was so fluent.

Due to the dynamic way the sisters lived, they each preferred different languages, though where fluent in three. Sachi, because her last two friends before Acer preferred to speak in English, tended to prefer that language. Ayumi, desiring to join JSDF, spoke mainly Japanese, almost to the point of ignoring those who preferred another language due to struggling with Japanese. Mia, meanwhile, preferred Russian as she was aiming to set up her own small-town clinic in Kinestol, a small town in the former soviet union, now considered to be in East Japan and firmly under Japanese control

If at all possible, it was considered improper to address someone in a different language than they addressed you with. The exception was if a person was not fluent at all in a language, or if they decided to override their own preferred language which sometimes happened between close friends.

"Good things, huh?" Ayumi butted in, sounding hostile.

Kirita let out a small sigh, knowing exactly where Ayumi was going. "Get your head outta the gutter!" She growled, before sighing. "Things like how she helped him out with studying or a joint school project. He did mention that he admired her courage though."

Lori gave Kirita a small smile. "I'm not too surprised he thinks that way about my daughter," she commented, confusing the three sisters.

Kirita gave a small shrug and a smile in return. "I presume knowing his past you know he doesn't say that about just anyone, right?"

 **Sachi POV:**

 _He... he admires my courage?_ This seemed to shock her as she couldn't fathom what about her would cause him to admire her, much less her courage. _No,_ she shook her head. _I swore to myself that if I got out I'd try and think more positively about myself._

It did leave her curious though. Glancing at her sister's reaction, she couldn't help but notice the shock on their faces at this revelation. Suddenly hushed whispers began to flood the back of the car.

However, this didn't last long as a bulletin on the radio began to play. Sachi listened intently as her mother turned up the volume.

"In other news the treaty of succession has officially been ratified. As many of you are aware, in 1936 Japan was under attack from Russian forces, and requested assistance from the United states of America. Under this agreement, Japan would agree to become an honorary state of America for 100 years and any territory not considered island territory would also become an honorary state for 100 years. East Japan as it was called would then serve West Japan for the next 100 years as an honorary state then the matter will be brought before a meeting with the global concerns council to decide the fate of East Japan. Stay tuned for our 7:00 PM broadcast fore more details."

Currently East Japan spanned from the Arctic ocean down a straight line from Norilisk, reaching as far as Angarsk, then roughly to the Sea of Japan. Although they did win some land during the Veitna war, most of that went to Mongolia, Thailand, and the united Korean republic as Japan and at that point America where weary about claiming any more land.

Sachi let out a dreamy sigh. "My kids could very well grow up in a free Japan," she whispered, fantasizing about the future.

"Oh, have you and Acer been talking?" Lori asked, her voice teasing.

Shaking her head wildly, Sachi could feel her cheeks turn red. "No!" She then let out a sigh. "We...we haven't even discussed taking our relationship any farther."

"But you like him, don't you?" Ayumi dared to ask.

Once again Sachi's cheeks blushed profusely. She then let out a deep sigh. "Honestly, now that you mention it...maybe I do."

"Maybe?" Mia asked.

"It's just..." She paused, holding up her left arm. "I'm kinda scared. Scared I might mess up, scared that I might not be good enough. I've always been even beyond the concept of boyfriends. . And today...while I was in jail...I realized something. I've been too hard on myself on account of this. I guess...I guess I'm just still trying to figure out how to go on from here."

"Well... asking him right after accepting his invite to join S.E.R.P. might be seen as a bit too...opportunistic. But you should speak to him soon, maybe in the coming weeks or month or so."

 _Mom is right, but soon, I'll ask you Acer, I promise._


End file.
